


My Pal Joey

by DixieDale



Series: Unexpected Encounters [2]
Category: Clan O'Donnell - Fandom, Garrison's Gorillas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 15:15:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20342242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DixieDale/pseuds/DixieDale
Summary: Best friends, brothers.  Together you find yourselves laughing over shared memories, til you find yourself weeping over new sorrow.





	My Pal Joey

"My old pal, Joey!", that's how Casino had introduced Joey Marcelino to the guys. 

"Old pal, my ass!" Joey had laughed, slapping Casino on the shoulder. "Best friends, brothers, that's what we are, ever since we were kids! Shit, the trouble we got into together!!"

They were a striking pair, standing next to each other. Both with that dark hair and those chocolate brown eyes, though Casino's hair had perhaps a little more wave to it, and his eyes maybe made a little more of an impact. Joey was maybe a couple inches shorter, not quite so broad in the shoulders, but still a handsome, well-built man. They made a very appealing picture, as you could tell from the approving looks they were getting from the women passing by.

They were old buddies, had known each other since grade school. Had showed up at each other's back door coaxing milk and cookies from each other's mother; having those same mothers patch them up after they'd taken a dive off their bikes, or got banged up in a fight or whatever. Hell, Casino's mom had even dug that bullet out of Joey when the Brubaker job had gotten dicey. That was the job where Joey had taken a bullet for Casino, the job that made them brothers, as if they hadn't been before. 

They'd done a couple of small jobs together before they started with the bigger stuff elsewhere. Had shared more bottles of vino than they could count. Hell, they'd even shared the robust favors of Magdalena McCarthy for one memorable six-month period. And, they'd came too damned close to sharing a cell at least once; would have, if Casino's uncle's pet judge hadn't pulled some strings.

Thing was, Casino had heard a few months back from his cousin Augie that Joey was headed for a fifteen-year stretch at one of the less salubrious of the penal institutions, so he sure as hell wasn't expecting to see him on the streets of London. But it would have been apparent to anyone who saw them that they were well-acquainted, what with the broad grins and laughter and back-slapping and everything. 

Well, that's the assumption the passersby made, and it's the assumption Chief and Goniff made as they stood back and watched.

"Ei, Chiefy. Think maybe they know each other," Goniff smirked, digging his elbow into Chief's side.

"Yeah, Goniff, looks like," Chief had drawled, waiting patiently for Casino to either bring the guy over and introduce him, or wave them to head on and he'd catch up later. 

The bartender at Silks rolled his eyes as the five men rolled into the bar. Hopefully the visit would be peaceful; with Casino and his friends, you just never knew.

"So, last I heard from Augie, you were headed for a long stretch. What happened? How'd you end up here, wearing that uniform?" Casino asked, taking a long swig of beer.

Joey looked around at the others, then back to Casino, lifting his eyebrows, clearing asking if he and Casino should be discussing any of that with the others listening.

"Hey, no sweat, Babe. These guys are all in the same boat as me, working for a parole. You don't hafta worry," Casino grinned happily.

Now it was his three teammates who gave him a slightly questioning, slightly cautioning look.

Casino snorted in gruff amusement at everyone being so tippy-toed. 

"Look, Joey and me, we grew up together; did a couple jobs together - came close to spending some time in the same cell. He's an alright guy," he proclaimed. 

He could tell they weren't entirely comfortable with his assessment, wanted him to keep quiet about them and their business, but damn, it wasn't like Joey was a screw or even regulary army; he was different, understood the score. Casino woulda trusted him with his life, and as far as he was concerned, the guys should get the message and just settle down.

Still, he took heed of the warning in their eyes. So he wouldn't be talking too much about things he shouldn't, not about the job, the side jobs, the stash in Switzerland, shit like that. No, it wouldn't've done any harm, but no sense pissing them off. They'd figure out the score sooner or later, figure out Joey was a top-knotch guy.

Joey sipped his own beer and grinned, lifting his mug in a salute to the others. "No big secret - well, yeah, maybe in some places, not back home so much. Not something your cousin would want to be putting down in writing, though. Judge Peterson, remember him, Casino? The one your Uncle Gouchi has on payroll?"

Casino nodded happily, proclaiming to the avidly listening guys, "nothing like having a judge or two on the family payroll to make life a little simpler. Pity he was down with appendicitis when my case came up. Tried to get it delayed til he got back, but the replacement was a real hard-ass."

Joey continued. "Yeah, well, he's ALSO the local contact for the Army Recruiting Office, cause of his kid Jupe being in charge down there. Strictly unofficial, of course, since Jupe would get his tail in a wringer if the bigwigs knew he wasn't just luring em in off the streets with a bunch of bullshit promises. Anyhow, it aint like the Judge is getting paid, just doing it for his kid.

"So there it is the end of the month, end of the reporting for the recruiting guys, and Jupe is running way short of live bodies to stuff into uniforms. Well, there goes his commission, not that the army admits to paying such, and he's counting on that moolah, ya know? Can't expect him to live on that miserable few dollars they pay for the job. He calls up his dad, the judge looks at the docket, who's sitting in the cells, and 'bam!', there we are, me and ten others thinking we're looking at the back end of a cell block, being fitted out for a new career."

Actor tilted his head slightly to one side, "I understand you were looking at considerable time. Was it the same with the others?" He wondered, but was too polite to ask what Joey was being sent up for.

"Nah, most were just small-timers, headed for a nickel, maybe less, but hell, Casino's Uncle Goochi, he figures it's what he'd want someone to do for Casino, so he gives the Judge a little shove. So, I get a uniform instead of . . . "

He stopped abruptly, "hey, any more beer in that pitcher?" nodding happily when Goniff poured him another half glass, draining the pitcher.

"Thanks, Shorty," he said dismissively.

That got him a resigned roll of the eyes from Goniff, clearly a 'here we go again!', a frown from Chief, and a disapproving look from Actor.

Later, when Casino and Joey were coming back from the john, Casino nudged Joey. 

"Hey, Joey, cool it with the 'Shorty' and any other cute stuff, okay? I work with these guys; we're friends. Don't want one a them popping you in the mouth and me having to take sides." 

He said it with a laugh, but Joey could tell he was at least half-way serious. He hastened to smooth the waters.

"Yeah, sure, okay. Friends, huh? But not like you and me, eh Casino? NOBODY'S friends like we are," Joey said with a smirk. "Remember Magdalena McCarthy? How many a those guys you sharing a broad with? Remember, us splitting up the days of the week?? Now THAT'S being REAL friends!"

Casino laughed hard and loud. "You're right, Joey, aint nobody friends like you and me. And the guys? Our tastes in broads aint the same, not too much anyhow. Actor, he mostly only goes for the high-tonned fancy ones, all la-di-da, ya know? Goniff's got a gal, least I think so, even if I can't make any sense of it; anyhow, he don't screw around much on the side. Chief - Oh, hey guys, we were talking broads. Anyone interested in seeing if Jolene is open for business? Man, that dame's got more talent than anyone has a right to! And I know she's got friends! Bet she could even dig up someone who can talk opera or Shakespeare or shit like that for you, Beautiful!"

Actor had smiled and declined, Goniff said he had a man he had to see about a horse, and Chief decided on an early night. Casino introduced Joey to Jolene, and turns out she had enough talent to take them both on and happy enough to do so. 

"Hell, Casino, just like old times!" Joey had laughed, and Casino couldn't argue with the man on that. Damn, after Jolene, he didn't have enough energy to argue with anyone!

Back at the Mansion, Casino had filled them in on the 'Mad, Bad Adventures of Casino and Joey', and had them shaking their heads and laughing right along with him.

Garrison had walked in at the end of one such story, just hearing "so Joey's mom, she takes a good look at the pair of us, looking like we just crawled outta a rubbish heap, throws her hands up in the air, and yells for his pop to come 'toss these piles of rags out in the alley! And while you're out there, keep an eye out for Casino and Joey. It's not like them to be this late for supper!"

"Alright, gentlemen, listen up. We've got a job, and we're running tandem this time."

That got a heartfelt groan. Oh, some of the guys they teamed up with were okay, but some weren't, and it was just easier to depend on themselves and each other rather than a bunch of outsiders.

"It's Micah Davis, along with his regular crew and a new guy - explosives expert and wheel man, name of Joey Marcelino."

He stopped as the room filled with hoots of laughter and Chief slapped Casino on the shoulder. "Looks like you're still doing jobs together, Casino."

"Hell, they're letting Joey play with explosives? Shit! Hope they issue everyone one of those turtle hats!" Casino had laughed. "Joey, in addition to not being able to tell time, or figure out north from south, used to be almost as clumsy as the Limey here!"

"You know this guy?" Garrison had asked, though the answer was pretty obvious.

"Hell, yeah, Warden. Me and Joey, we go back to the old neighborhood. We're pals, friends from way back. Hell, more than friends. Me and Joey, we're like brothers!"

Micah had the same sort of meeting with his guys, getting a casual shrug, pretty much what he'd expected. They'd worked with Garrison and his blokes before, rubbed along fair enough, no sparks of any kind, nothing to worry about. The new guy, Joey, had just sat and listened, both then and later when the guys filled him in on this Garrison and his team. 

"Sounds like okay guys, if you say so," he'd offered. "Now that's a name you don't hear every day, 'Casino'. Knew a guy called Casino once, back in the old neighborhood. We were friends."

"Well, the rest aren't names you hear every day either - 'Actor', 'Goniff', 'Chief' - but no matter what they call themselves, they know their job. Hell, they have to with that Garrison leading them. He don't know where to draw the line, you know? He sees a target, locks on, and don't let up til the job's done or they're too banged up to go any further," one of Davis's men told him. "You'll see. And this Casino? Hell, he's the best with the safecracker stuff, never seen better, and no slouch on the rest of it. You wanna pick up some pointers, just watch HIM! Well, all of Garrison's crew are tops at what they do, no question about it!"

Joey nodded, "yeah, guess it'll be real interesting working with them, alright," and laid back in his bunk, trying to hide his annoyance. 

{"Never changes, same ole shit! 'Casino's the best.' 'You outta be more like Casino, Joey.' Well, screw that! I'm tired of everyone always pointing to Casino, telling me how damned good he is! Now it's not just him, it's his 'friends', even the screw running the damned show!"}

What no one ever knew, Joey hadn't been as nonchalant about black-haired, green-eyed Magdalena as Casino had thought, and even less so about a whole lot of other things. That Brubaker job that had turned sour? Hell, no matter what the neighborhood thought, Joey hadn't caught that bullet for Casino, like he'd said, like Casino had been saying all these years. No, Joey had been trying to manoeuvre Casino into the right position for the shooter, just like he'd arranged, and that stupid Luco had missed the mark, hit Joey instead. Luckily Luco had ended up on a slab before he could spill the beans!

And, yeah, Joey was still holding a grudge, for a lotta stuff. Damned Casino always came out on top, always had even from when they were little kids, and he was tired of either being in the man's shadow or taking his left-overs. Sick and tired of it, and here he was again, being told "Casino, he's the best", being told the others, Casino's new friends, were too, and this time, this time he was going to put a stop to it once and for all. 

As far as he was concerned, the 'best' was gonna be the one who stayed breathing longest, and he intended to be that someone. Yeah, later, when everyone was pointing HIM out as 'the best', maybe he'd smile and give a little credit to "my old pal, Casino. Learned a hell of a lot from him, you know!"

Joey went to sleep smiling, thinking on all the possibilities, and his dreams, while highly satisfying, weren't of Jolene and all her talents, but him standing there, modest as can be, accepting his due praise and giving proper credit to his old pal Casino. His late old pal Casino.

Somewhere in France - 

{"One of these days the Lieutenant is gonna figure out Casino is right! 'E is just too ruddy ambitious! Gonna get us all killed, 'e don't stop thinking 'e can take on any damned fool job HQ sets out on the table. Don't care if we 'ad Davis and 'is guys doing part; it was still just too ruddy much!"}. 

Goniff was trying hard to catch his breath after sprinting from his place behind the far buildings. Yeah, that move put him way out of position to where he was supposed to be, but his part of that job was done, those guards had fallen to his pistol without even knowing he was there, without anyone else being any the wiser. Now he had an overpowering urge to see what was going on with the rest of the guys. 

He did that, when he could, though he'd gotten lambasted by the Lieutenant more than once for it. He usually passed it off to himself as just being curiosity, and admittedly he had an abnormally wide streak of that, but he knew it was more. Somehow, that keeping an eye out for the others, making sure they were okay, that had become almost as much of an obsession with him as snaffling those little sparklies that kept catching his eye, though that made no sense whatsoever. 

AND it kept getting him the fish-eye from the Lieutenant. In the beginning, an innocent, wide-eyed look and some fast patter had gotten him through, convinced Garrison his pickpocket just had a woefully poor sense of direction. 

Lately, though, the Lieutenant was starting to get wise, so Goniff figured he'd have to start coming up with a different explanation pretty soon. He hadn't figured out just WHAT yet, but he was sure he would. He mostly did, when he really needed to.

He laughed silently to himself at that totally odd thought he'd just had, his comparing those gilded snuffboxes and jeweled watch fobs and all the other pretty little trinkets that had raised such a hunger in him since his earliest days, comparing them with the rough and tumble Chief and Casino, even the elegant Actor. 

{"Lambast me a good one, they would, all three of them!"}

{"Acourse, the Lieutenant, now, THAT makes more sense, though 'e'd 'ave my 'ead too if I ever said anything like that out loud."}

A smile grew as he let that thought carry him where it would.

{"Still, 'e's a lot like that snuff box I snaffled last month, the one that was all shiny gold, with those pretty green emeralds and diamond chips, as sparkly as can be. Made me think of the Lieutenant, it did, probably why I grabbed for it - 'im and 'is gold blond 'air, pretty green eyes, even the sparkly-part, though with 'im, that's pretty much on the inside. Brings out the same kinda 'unger, too, 'e does, like the w'ole world, everything I could want, is wrapped up in that one package. Maybe that's why I kept that little box, didn't turn it over to Actor or send it 'ome to Mum. Oh, I played fair, grabbed a diamond bracelet to give to Actor instead for the stash, but that box, it's mine!"}. 

Of course, he knew with the trinkets, the 'sparklies', having them firmly in his possession only satisfied him for a period of time before the hunger for something new came along to blindside him. 

Somehow, though, he thought that particular gold and green prize, the one called Craig Garrison, just might not be something he'd tire of, and that brought a self-deprecating smile to his face. 

{"Like I'd ever 'ave a chance in the first place. Aint like a snuffbox, where you can just reach out and take, tuck it away in your pocket, pop up on a shelf to look at w'enever you've a mind. And can't see 'im ever . . ."}

A quick movement in the shadows ahead drew his mind back to the business at hand. {"Never mind the Lieutenant 'aving my 'ead! I don't keep my mind on w'at I'm doing, the krauts are gonna save 'im the trouble!"} he scolded himself silently.

Quickly taking in his surroundings, he paused, noting where the other guys were supposed to be. {"Chiefy's over in that direction, Actor and the Lieutenant off to the side. There's Casino coming around that clump of rocks down below."}. 

He turned his focus to the one spot none of the guys should have been, but where there was now someone hunkered low in the shadows.

Seeing the crouched figure rise up, then carefully line up his gun on the oblivious Casino, Goniff hadn't hesitated. As Garrison often remarked, it was amazing how his aim improved when the chips were down. He heard another shot, not sure if it was an echo to his own or not, but thought it might have come from the direction where Chief was working. Still, he thought he'd seen the man jerk twice, and thought Chief might have seen the danger too and acted.

Staying low, he ran forward to kick the fallen body over to be sure the man didn't present a continued danger, and stopped, shocked beyond belief as he recognized the moaning man laying there. Joey Marcelino.

{"Glory, I've shot Casino's best friend! Bloody 'ell!"} he agonized, dropping to his knees beside the stricken man. If he had been shocked before, it was nothing to what he was going to be when Joey opened his eyes, opened his mouth to say his last few words.

"How do we tell Casino?" a deeply shaken Goniff asked Chief. He felt sick, swallowed hard to keep from throwing up. Oh, the killing made his stomach twitchy, as it always did, but the real reason was the betrayal by the man laying at their feet. "Don't know 'e'll believe us, even if we tell 'im the truth. Like brothers, they were; that's what 'e said."

He thought he would always remember the look of fury on Joey's face, the words forcing their way out through blood-flecked lips, through lungs that fought for enough air to speak. 

"Damn you! I had him! I finally had him! Couldn't a missed, not that close! Damn you *@*#&@(#&*@. All this time, waiting til the right time came. Had to take down Fanning to sneak away from Davis, but I did it! I finally had the bastard! Fuckin' 'just the greatest, always the best' Casino!"

And the final sob,"I had him, I had him!" and then the man, Casino's pal, his 'friend', his 'brother', had choked on the blood pouring into his throat and died.

"Yeah, well, I heard Cain and Abel were brothers too," Chief said, not a flicker of emotion on his face. If anyone was looking for regret from him, they weren't gonna get it. Joey had tried to shoot Casino, maybe some of the rest of them too, but Casino for sure. From what it sounded, mighta done for Mitch Fanning too, and Mitch was an alright guy. All that had earned Joey that bullet, whichever one had killed him, and he kinda thought Goniff's might have done the job; the angle had been a little off for it to have been him, but there was no way of telling really. It didn't matter, as long as it was done.

Actor had seen them close in, come close enough to see the body sprawled out in front of him.

"What happened? Did we miss one?" his voice low and apprehensive. Well, it had been a whirlwind of activity back there at the guardpost, shooting and running, returning fire and dodging flying bullets. He'd thought they'd accounted for the entire contingent before anyone reached the perimeter, but perhaps not. Apparently not, if one of them was this far away. Though why Chief and Goniff were still at the scene, why they were acting so strangely, that he didn't understand.

"Not exactly, Actor. It's Joey," Goniff admitted.

Actor's eyes widened in shock; then he frowned, puzzled, since none of Davis' crew should have been anywhere near here. He came forward to kneel down, quickly checking for a pulse. He hadn't really expected to find one, the way the body was laying, but he was their field medic, had to be sure.

Sighing he got back to his feet. "Do we know how it happened? Casino is not going to take this well." 

Chief stared into the distance for a moment, then decided to level. 

"Casino wouldn't a taken that bullet in the back Joey had lined up for him all that well neither. Not that he woulda known about it, not if Joey'd had his way. He didn't intend for Casino to walk away afterwards."

Actor frowned, incredulous, looking from Chief over to Goniff for confirmation. "Are you joking? They are, were friends; brothers." 

And Chief repeated what he'd told Goniff. "Yeah, just like Cain and Abel."

"Well, we better think of something," Goniff muttered quickly. "'Ere 'e comes, with the Lieutenant not far behind."

"What the hell was Joey doing over here anyway?" Casino agonized. "He was supposed to be with Davis and his guys at the terminal! Shit! Just like Joey, wrong place, wrong time. Used to rib him, ya know, his lousy sense of direction and not being able to read a watch was gonna get him killed one day." 

His voice choked to a halt, and he bent back over the silent figure, his shoulders hunched in grief. 

His three team mates exchanged silent looks, then Chief went over to lay a hand on Casino's shoulder. "Come on, Pappy. We gotta get going."

Casino threw back his head, furious. "We can't just leave him here!"

Garrison had approached, saw the grim tableau, understood (or at least thought he understood), and nodded; he'd get the story later, but for now they needed to move. 

"We're headed straight to the meet with Davis, then to the exit. We won't leave him behind, Casino. Come on guys, get him into the jeep. You can fill me in on the way."

Goniff hurried to fill in the silence, "sure, Lieutenant. Saw the w'ole thing, I did. Spect Chiefy was too far away, though, and I know Actor was. See, it was like this . . ."

Garrison held up his hand, "later, Goniff, once we're on our way," and the Englishman nodded rapidly, relieved he had a few more minutes to concoct his story.

When Garrison turned to urge Casino to his feet, the pickpocket gave a fiercely warning look to his two remaining teammates. It was more than evident that they were to keep their mouths shut, let Goniff spin the story his own way. They'd be sure to listen closely so they could back it up, whatever it was. They just hoped it was believable enough, for Garrison, for Davis, and most of all, for Casino.

Casino had written a long letter to Joey's family, thinking the letter from Micah Davis wasn't near enough, especially with Joey only working with Davis and his group for that short time. Hell, Joey's family was almost like his own, after all, for all the time he'd spent over there, sitting at their kitchen table, yaking with Joey and the others. Laughing at Joey's grandfather's stale jokes, getting the lectures from his Pop, having the sisters tease him, his mom urge him to have "just a little more, Casino." All those times . . .

He'd sat, staring at the words for a long time once he'd finished. 

{"Maybe that's why it happened like it did, us getting together again, me and the guys being there. Having someone around who knew him; someone who could tell his folks that Joey hadn't been alone out there. That he'd been brave; had died doing a job that had to be done, that he'd been brought back to England where, after the war, he could finally make his way back home again."

His eyes had been red and swollen when he'd come out of Garrison's office where he'd been laboring over that letter, but everyone made a point of not noticing. They figured Casino had a right to mourn, even if maybe not just for the reason he thought.

Casino came in through the door of the pub like a black thundercloud, jaw rock-hard and tight, and everyone in the room just automatically moved out of his way as he headed toward the table where the guys were sitting. 

Garrison was at the bar, talking to Constable Ben Miller, caught the action and straightened. Casino had elected to stay behind at the Mansion tonight, but here he was, and trouble was coming, the officer could tell. Correction, trouble was here, just a couple steps from making contact, and even moving quickly wasn't enough to get in the path between the safecracker and his targets.

"Which one a you was it? Huh? Which one a you pulled the plug on Joey? Come on, level with me!! About time, don't ya think??! Just how long did you think you could pull the wool over my eyes??!" 

Casino was raging, facing a wide-eyed and apprehensive Goniff and a hard-faced Chief, who'd scrambled to their feet once they realized they were Casino's targets.

Actor had been getting a pitcher of beer at the bar, hastily set it aside and moved forward to join Garrison. 

"I wonder how he found out," Actor said with more than a little dismay.

"Actor, what the hell??!" the bewildered Garrison barked. Nothing of what he was hearing made any sense.

Actor hesitated. They hadn't told Garrison, thinking it best to keep it between the three of them. They certainly hadn't told Casino. Now, somehow, Casino had found out, and it was all about to hit the fan.

"Yes, it's most likely true, Craig, either Goniff or Chief pulled the trigger, but there's more to it than that. They were protecting Casino, perhaps all of us, but Casino certainly. It was Casino who was supposed to die that night; that was Joey's intention. That's why he was there, not still with Davis and his men."

Garrison shot him an incredulous look. "HOW? WHY?? They were tight, Joey and Casino, friends, brothers."

Actor sighed, keeping his eye on the raging confrontation going on in front of him. 

"True. But as Chief remarked, Cain and Abel were also brothers. Only this time, Abel came out alive, and Cain did not, thanks to Chief and Goniff. The reason Joey wasn't with Micah Davis and his team, was not where he was supposed to be? He circled over, intended to kill Casino without anyone knowing. I expect he would not have hesitated to take out any of the others of us if it had proved convenient."

Garrison moved forward quickly as the shouting turned into flying fists. "Later. I want to hear the whole damned story later, Actor!". 

He grabbed for Goniff, caught him as the pickpocket went flying under the impact of a hard right fist and hauled him out of the fray, snatching at Chief's collar as they went tumbling by, while Actor grabbed the furious Casino, yanking him backwards.

They made their way back to the Mansion, sullen and quiet, Chief and Goniff being sent to the Common Room, "get yourselves cleaned up, on the double, and WAIT THERE!"

Garrison had directed Casino and Actor to his office, firmly closed the door, and sat down, running his hand through his hair.

"Alright. Casino, you first. Talk!"

And, though it took some prodding, he finally did. About how Mitch Fanning had finally come out of that totally out-of-it stage from that hard slam to his head and started talking. About how Joey had maybe had a drink or two too many from that bottle of wine they'd found while they waited in that old farmhouse, maybe had too much on his mind to keep still, that last night. 

He'd started talking about the old days with Casino in the old neighborhood. About how much he'd resented Casino, envied him, and how bent on revenge he was. 

Then Joey realized he'd said too much, especially when he'd started talking about sneaking away, coming up behind Garrison's group, taking out Casino, maybe his hot-shot buddies, without anyone having a clue.

Fanning was more than a little sheepish about it all. He'd stalled too long, wanting to hear as much as he could to back up this wild story later; long enough for Joey to smash that 2x4 upside his head.

Casino dragged it all out now.

"Mitch says Joey talked about how he'd had enough of hearing from everyone about how he should be more like Casino, about how great Casino was, all that shit. Really wound him up hearing from Davis's guys about how good I know my stuff, about how you guys and the Lieutenant are top knotch too.

"Turns out he only started dating Magdalena cause he knew her and me were already getting it on. Thought he'd get close, then convince her to choose him over me, show me up, ya know, but she didn't want any part of that, and that really pissed him off. Hell, Magdalena could handle me on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, him on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and still take on the football team on Sunday! Had a drive like you aint ever seen! She wasn't about to narrow her options! He took that as a big slap in the face, not just her being her."

Casino dropped his head in his hands for a moment, then straightened and looked at Garrison and Actor. 

"And that job, the one where he took a bullet for me? Saved my life, I always thought? Mitch says Joey'd set me up then, too; just got out of position and had it go all wrong."

"Shit, Warden! He was like a brother to me! How couldn't I have known??! How can someone hate you that bad and never even let on??! Act like he's your best friend in the world??!"

There was a long silence. 

"How did you finally figure out what happened? Fanning might have known what Joey intended, but he wasn't there when it went down," Garrison asked.

Casino snorted, a rather damp and mufffled sound. There was no amusement there, only surprise at Garrison even needing to ask.

"Hell, Warden, as well as I know these guys? You know Goniff, always trailing after us to be sure we're okay once he's got his own job done. Like he can't just sit and wait where he's supposed to, not without knowing we're all alright."

Casino didn't notice the startled look on Garrison's face, and Actor sighed to himself. 

{"We could have done without you mentioning that, Casino. I don't think the Lieutenant truly ever understood why Goniff was so frequently out of position. Oh, well, it's too late now."}

Casino ran his hand over the back of his neck.

"And Chief, sometimes I think he's got eyes in the back of his head, always looking in the shadows, always on guard for trouble. Sometimes I think he even smells it in the air, not even having to see it."

"And every damned time I mentioned Joey, afterwards, I mean, something just went a little 'off', if ya know what I mean? Didn't think too much about it; figured they were still thinking about how it coulda been one a us, coulda been them.

"Then, I talked to Fanning a couple days ago when we was picking up supplies. Didn't believe him, not at first, thought he was reading it all wrong. But how the hell do you read any of that shit any way other than the one way?? 

"Then, I got back here and started doing some heavy thinking, started dropping a little word here, another there, just to see what would happen. Seeing if maybe they'd gotten any idea, if I was the only one dumb enough not to see what Joey was thinking. Watching their faces. 

"Wouldn't a known from the Indian, most like, but you know Goniff. I'd start up, he'd be okay, but then he'd start fidgeting, couldn't keep his fingers still, eyes blinking a mile a minute. And both of them all of a sudden finding somewhere else to be. 

"Was sitting there tonight, after you all left, having a drink, thinking it over, and all of a sudden - I could just see it, ya know??! Just like I was there, watchin. Goniff coming trailing along, checking up on us; or maybe Chief slipping around to cover the backtrail, them seeing someone in the dark, training that gun on me, getting ready to shoot. And I knew. I just knew."

Garrison had sighed. "Alright Actor, your turn." 

Actor had given a rather annotated version, he and the others deciding it would still be best to pretend he hadn't known, at least, not that night anyway. He could tell Garrison wasn't happy with him, but also not nearly as angry as he was with the other two, but Goniff and Chief had been insistent that was necessary. That if anyone could calm Garrison down afterwards it was more likely to be Actor than anyone else.

The walls to the Common Room were getting an earful. Hell, the whole Mansion most likely was, as loud as that commanding voice was.

"You do NOT leave me in the dark like that, ever again! Not about a job! Not when one of our own goes down, no matter how!! No matter who!!!"

He paused a moment, though whether for impact or for the overhead light fixture to stop quivering was an open question in everyone's mind.

"Goniff, you lied to me. No, don't look at me that way! And don't try to make excuses! You didn't 'skirt the truth', didn't 'avoid the details', you flat out lied to me! That is not acceptable and it will NOT happen again, do you understand me??!!"

Garrison was keeping a tight control over himself, but the look he was giving their pickpocket was fiery in its intensity. He was expecting in return the usual half-apologetic, half-hopeful one he usually got when he caught the man up to no good. Not this time.

Goniff had reared back, frowned just a little, puzzled, as if he'd been bitten when he hadn't been expecting it.

The look Garrison now got had nothing of the mischief maker in it, nothing of the smiling fool. It was all steady cool deliberation, mixed with a little resentment but also with a little of something quite different, something he couldn't quite figure out - what Garrison would never have thought to call 'fascination', though that term would have been more than a little accurate. All on the face of a man who suddenly seemed much older, much more dangerous than usual. A man obviously biting back the equally hard words he was burning to say.

{"Bloody 'ell, yes, I lied! W'at, Lieutenant??! I'm supposed to just tell you and Casino back then, in the middle of nowhere, krauts all around us, say flat out that Joey was a bad un, aiming to shoot Casino in the back? Like that would 'ave 'elped matters any! Like anyone was gonna believe that anyhow! Sides, didn't even know it WAS Joey til it was all over and I flipped 'im over! I'll take the blame, it comes to that. Think it was me did for 'im, from the way the bullets 'it; maybe Chiefy, though no need saying that out loud. Figured it was better Casino thought it was the krauts w'at got 'im, 'im being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Better than 'im knowing 'is old buddy, 'is brother was looking to scrag 'im! And sure as 'ell aint gonna drag Chiefy down too; 'im and Casino are too close. I get kicked out, at least Casino 'as SOMEONE to pick up the slack."}

But the words were kept inside, burning like acid, reflected in his blue eyes, but not making their way out. Garrison took full note of those eyes, interpreted them pretty much accurately, but decided to let it drop. At least for the time being. Sooner or later he'd have to address that being out of position business, but that would wait too; this wasn't the time, not when it had resulted in Casino being alive, not dead.

Garrison turned to Chief, frustration evident in every line of his stance.

"And you! You covered for him! Just stood back, didn't step in and tell me the score, just nodded and went along! Since when do you let Goniff do your thinking for you?"

The look he was getting was stoic, but there was a deep burning in the back of those dark eyes, showing that Goniff wasn't the only one feeling a little resentful. But like Goniff, Chief didn't open his mouth, no matter what was going through his mind.

{"Well, what the hell did you expect, Warden? Supposed to just casual like mention, 'oh, that wasn't the way it really happened, Warden, what Goniff was telling you. See, we're the ones that shot Joey. Either me or Goniff, maybe both; don't really know for sure. Don't see it matters much, way he was lining up his sights on Casino.' Least he hasn't figured out Actor knew the score too, has from that night. Maybe HE can talk some sense into the Lieutenant, once he calms down some."}

Garrison shifted his eyes to Casino, slightly battered, slightly sullen. 

"And you! I understand how you feel about them keeping this from you; can understand finding out about Joey wasn't easy. But a public brawl is NOT the answer! You should have come to me with everything you heard, everything you guessed, not stayed up here and brooded over it when we headed down to the pub. Not waited til you built up a full head of steam and followed after to start swinging!"

For a minute they thought he'd come to the end, but turns out he was only getting his second wind.

Actor could hear Garrison all the way from the office below, wondered if they weren't hearing him all the way to the village. He exchanged a shrug with the bewildered Sergeant Major Rawlins. 

"Yes, Sergeant Major, it is complicated, but I believe this is another of those things you perhaps should manage to 'not hear or see'", getting a weary nod from the non-com. Rawlins was getting to be rather an expert at that. Sometimes he thought he should put it on his resume, if he ever started looking for another line of work after the war.

"And for another thing," Garrison yelled, "we do NOT air our dirty linen in front of the whole village! You can't get that through your thick heads, then the village is going to be off limits til you do! 

"In fact, the village is off limits for now anyway! I don't want the sight of you reminding them of any of this mess. Maybe, with any luck, there'll be some other excitement to take their mind off it.

"Goniff, for right now that means the Cottage too! I don't want you heading over there for tea and sympathy, you hear me??! 

"And DO NOT think I'm paying for the breakage tonight; I already told Jake you three are responsible and will paying it off on a monthly basis out of your pay packets!"

Well, of course he'd already paid Jake for the breakage; it wasn't fair to have the bartender and the pub owner bear that burden, to wait for their money, but the guys didn't have to know that. Jake had agreed to quietly accept their payments, give them a tally each time, and just put it in a kitty against the NEXT time. Because, as Garrison and Jake both knew, there would be a next time.

Goniff looked sullen, the bruise on his cheek turning dark against his fair skin. Chief had managed to avoid Casino's fists, though he was responsible for the bruise starting to show on that worthy's jaw. 

Garrison had glared at the three of them once more, just for good measure, then turned as Actor came in through the door.

"Lecture over? Very well, next on the agenda," the tall man had said with a solemn look, setting the new bottle of whiskey down in the center of the table.

"Right," Garrison growled, obviously struggling to shift modes. 

"Goniff, get the glasses," looking down at the surprisingly cool and rebellious look he was getting from the pickpocket. A short staring contest resulted in a heavy sigh and a shrug, and Goniff slowly got to his feet. 

There was something about that look, that whole little performance, that made it abundantly clear that Goniff was going, alright, but only because of the promise of whiskey, not because he was being ordered to. 

That was unlike the usually eager-to-please pickpocket, even after a good dressing down, and something Garrison would think about later, when he had more time. Along with the whole incredulous concept of Goniff pulling that trigger, having the cover-up plan and the others, at least Chief, letting him take the lead. There was just something WRONG about that, something that jarred Garrison's perception of the man! There seemed to be just a slight adjustment in their relationship, and he just wasn't sure how to take that.

Things were still a little tense for the next few days, Casino lost in his own thoughts, the others giving him plenty of space. Til that night when the midnight silence was broken with a harsh whisper.

"Hey, Goniff. You awake?"

A grumbling voice in the darkness replied. "Am now. W'at's wrong, Casino?"

"Never said thanks," came the gruff reply.

"Thanks? For w'at?" replied Goniff, still three-quarters asleep. {"And w'atever it is, it couldn't a waited til morning??!"} 

"Ya know what, ya damned fool Limey! For saving my life back there, with Joey. Figure, way everyone was spread out, was more likely you than the Indian."

{"Now w'at am I supposed to say to that??!"} Goniff thought, suddenly totally awake.

"Uh, you're welcome?" he offered hesitantly, not sure Casino was really serious, not deep down.

"Yeah, well, don't expect me to keep going over it, okay?" came the grumbling rejoinder.

Goniff chuckled, "naw, wouldn't want you to do that, Casino. Night."

"Night," and quiet descended once again. Though it was too dark to tell, there was a smile on all four men's faces as they drifted back into slumber. 

"You still down in the dumps?" Chief had asked, watching Goniff sitting on that low garden wall, head tilted back, eyes at half-mast, swinging his legs, letting his heels snap into the rock each time. In the time he'd been sitting there, he'd gone through at least half a dozen cigarettes, the last two while Chief had watched silently from the kitchen doorway, flicking the remains to the ground at his feet, 

"Aint down in the dumps, just thinking things over, is all," Goniff protested, opening his eyes to look at his friend.

"Like what? Casino's back to talking to us, so that's gonna be alright. He's still trying to wrap his head around Joey fooling him all these years, holding all that inside, but he's not blaming us for what happened."

"Casino's pretty smart, once 'e starts thinking. 'Ard part is getting 'im started, you know. Don't much fancy it, it seems," Goniff admitted.

"Yeah, but what about you? Why you sitting out here all by yourself? You can't still be beatin yourself up about taking Joey out; wasn't anything else you could do. You know that. Hell, didn't even know it was him til it was over."

"Nah, I know that. That aint the problem," came the slow reply. "Not even a problem, just something that needs thinking over."

There was silence, and finally Goniff admitted, reluctantly, "thinking about sparklies, that's all."

"Well, what about em??!" 

Chief knew it sometimes took a lot of effort to make Goniff talk, really talk, not just chatter (chattering being the Englishman's way of AVOIDING talking). He was used to being one of the few who could manage that task, but this was more than he was used to having to prod the man to get an answer.

He got a sheepish smile, something he hadn't been expecting.

"See, Chiefy, you know 'ow I am about the sparklies - 'ow they kinda draw my attention and all?"

Chief snorted at that masterful understatement from one who appeared to be at the very least a border-line kleptomaniac.

"Yeah? So?"

That sheepish smile appeared again, one with more than a bit of unexpected, even shy delight behind it. If Chief was confused before, that smile finished the job.

"Just, as many as I've looked at, 'ad my fingers all tingly at the sight, all these years - this is the first time I 'ad a sparklie reach out and bite me. That's what they call 'unique', and that makes something all the more valuable, you know. Takes some getting used to, 'aving to watch out for getting bit like that. 

"Thought at first maybe that would take care of me wanting that particular prize any more, but doubt that's the case. Don't seem to be, anyway. Like I said, takes some getting used to, the whole thing.

He admitted, "sure wish 'Gaida was back from wherever Richards sent 'er this time; she's a right good one for 'elping me sort things out when they get overcomplicated." 

Goniff quickly added, "not that you don't 'elp too, Chiefy, just sometimes 'Gaida sees things from a different direction, like." Even with something like this, which some wouldn't have thought would be wise to discuss with the woman. He knew different, though. Well, his 'Gaida was a bright sparklie prize herself, wasn't she? Not gold and emerald and diamonds, no; maybe more like amber and jade and red coral. And he smiled, remembering now that SHE had teeth too, could deliver quite the bite when she took the notion. 

Chief didn't understand any of that, wasn't sure he wasn't better off that way; had to wonder if Meghada would be able to figure it all out when she got home either. In the long run, he just shrugged and went on to the next item on the agenda.

"Okay, whatever you say. Come on, it's bout time for the briefing. Don't wanna be late on top of everything else, set the Warden off again."

Goniff gave an amused snort as he hopped down from the wall, brushing off the seat of his pants, gathering the cigarette butts from the ground and dropping them into his pocket.

"No, don't want to start 'im up again," he grinned.

{"Ruddy 'ell no! Can still feel 'is teeth from the last time!"}


End file.
